Our World
This document is OOC and serves to provide players new and old with clear guidance as to the important facts that everyone should be aware of as their character. This does not seek to give answers of for questions that are still ambiguous or remain to be discovered in play. General Facts Ten Facts Most People Know Before Joining The SEF * Alien’s Exist and They Look Like Us – in 2014 an alien fleet appeared above Earth and the planet was invaded this race, called the Aethernauts, appeared to be (and in fact were) human’s armed with energy weapons and dressed in frock coats. Earth was liberated with the assistance of several alien species who also look human. To this date no non-human aliens have been widely revealed to the public, the emergence of an academic subject for the study of aliens is still in its infancy so most people don’t know a huge amount about aliens other than it exists. This invasion also led to the destruction of Iran and Nicaragua which both no-longer exist, and their people are stateless, and the irradiation of large swathes of the peoples republic of China. * There is a Military Unit called the SEF – since it was officially acknowledged as existing in 2015 public knowledge of the SEF is that it is a British Military Off World Exploration Unit, it is known to be based at MOD Corsham. This is not far different then say current knowledge of the SAS in that its existence and the broad strokes of its role are known, but not the details or the identities of current members of the unit. Since the Invasion of Earth everyone knows that one drunk down the pub who claims to be ex-SEF and was ‘definitely involved’ in the liberation of Earth. * There is a Multinational Government known as the UNE of which Britain is a Member – the UNE is more clearly detailed here but in broad strokes it replaced the UN when that collapsed because of its failure to stop a conflict with China that almost turned into a Nuclear War it has also replaced NATO. It is based in New Mombasa in Kenya, as well as operating a spaceport on the Moon. It does not ‘run’ the world but represents a much closer alliance between our world’s nations in the face of the revelation of alien life. * Most of the World Leaders are Different – in the past few years the game has tried to distance itself from Real World politics with the fictional (and formerly a PC) Prime Minister Thomas Lanfear succeeding David Cameron, and most world leaders being replaced by fictional counterparts. It is a known fact that Vladimir Putin was assassinated, and the current Russian government is paralyzed by a lack of leadership. Donald Trump is (currently at the time of writing in 2019) President of the United States of America, but for how long remains to be seen. The current British Prime Minister is Rupert Newbridge who succeeded Thomas Lanfear after the latter was killed off world. * The Human population is greatly reduced on Earth – because of the invasion in 2014 a plague in 2012 and numerous other near-cataclysms in years prior the population of Earth is reduced. The invasion in 2014 was particularly devastating and in twelve months of fighting claimed the lives of many individuals so much so that many characters will know someone killed in the conflict. * Most of the Media is the same – most TV/Movies/Books that exist in our world also exist in the SG LRP UK canon. The notable exception is the TV Series ‘Spooks’ (MI6 in other countries) which for various reasons is part of our canon. Some notable pieces of media can be found here, one notable difference between our canon and reality is the absence of Ant and Dec from TV (they were killed on air in the mid-2000s) and the sudden suppression of the works of HP Lovecraft and other contributors to the Cthulhu mythos since 2015. * Space Tourism has only got as Far as the Moon – the UNE Moon base Delphi offers the opportunity to most citizens of the Earth to travel off world, safe reliable inexpensive ground-to-space flight is possible, but the expansion of Space Tourism is still in its infancy. * Though the Environment is damaged there is now Clean Zero-Carbon Energy – most of our Earth’s nations, via the actions of the SEF and UNE have transitioned towards clean energy sources based on alien technology. This is not a fix-all however as the environment will still need time to recover and is still heavily damaged because of the invasion of earth * There is a ‘Stargate Experience’ near Coresham – opened in January 2020 the ‘Stargate Experience’ is a public relations initiative that is the brainchild of Dr Smith (a PC), this interactive exhibit presents declassified facts about the SEF’s past activities, as well as artifacts from its various off world adventures. It is intended to educate the public about the wider universe through the lens of the work of the SEF. * Most of the Issues that plague our current world do still exist – The Scottish independence movement has not gone away overnight, religious tensions across the world are still a problem, class divides still exist and natural resources are still limited. Earth in our canon is not a perfect happy place, it is not the Federation from Star Trek and new issues have emerged such as xenophobic Earth First terrorists. These issues are for players to solve (or not solve) if they wish to engage with them IC. Ten Facts You’d Know If You Served In The Military Before Joining The SEF * There is Gender and Sexuality Parity in the British Military (and most others) – the casualties inflicted during the invasion of Earth accelerated something that had been slowly shifting for years prior. In the face of heavy losses many militaries had to reflect on old conservative attitudes that had prevented the liberalisation of military units on gender and sexuality lines. This in turn has led to even historically universally discriminatory units, such as the SAS accepting female applicants. Though old attitudes have not vanished it is possible for any character of any gender to have served in any unit at this point - this does not apply to all alien races as some have more backwards opinions on gender. * Most Military characters will not have seen off world deployment before joining the SEF – there has not been a conflict that has required Earth’s military to deploy off of Earth at the time of writing (2019), however if a character was in service prior to the invasion of Earth in 2014 (or indeed signed up during the invasion) they will have seen combat against the Aethernauts during the twelve months Earth was occupied. The notable exception to this is if a character has served in the UNE Fleet or the UNE Marine Corps (UNEMC) aboard the fleet which do occasionally see deployment outside of the Solar system (ask the plotco at the time of writing your character if you would have seen any conflicts). * There are other Alien Threats out there – In the interest of military readiness after the Invasion of Earth in 2014 most Military personnel are briefed on the existence of the Goa’uld Empire and other threats to Earth that the military is aware of at the time of their service. * The British Military is one of the most advanced Military's in the World - thanks to the presence of various pieces of technology that have trickled-down from the SEF the British Military has benefited from advances to armour, weaponry, communications and other military technologies to become one of the foremost militaries in the word. * The primary firearms technology of the British Military and UNE is CEMAT – most personnel serving outside of special forces units use a weapons technology known as Chemically Enhanced Magnetic Acceleration Technology or CEMAT (also known as Chemrail). This is a hybrid form of firearms and railgun weapon developments giving modern military firearms a far more significant punch while sacrificing some fine accuracy which makes it unpopular with snipers and sharpshooters. If you served in the military post-2015 prior to joining the SEF you will have familiarity with this weapon type. * The primary fighter craft of the Royal Air Force is the XAF-1 Phobos – this is a fighter capable of space flight and armed with advanced energy weapons and missiles as well as being hyperdrive capable. If you have served in the RAF or UNE as a pilot since 2015 then you have likely flown in space. * MOD Coresham and MOD Boscombe Down are off-limits '- to the regular military (as well as civilians) MOD Coresham and MOD Boscombe Down are the effective 'Area 51's' of Britain. Both facilities have an official history but their recent use as SEF facilities has rendered them largely classified and restricted to SEF personnel only. * '''UNE Service is a prestigious career direction '- the UNE has the benefit of being able to select its forces from military's across the known world. The '''UNE Fleet is predominantly dominated by candidates who have served in their respective countries Airforces, but there are some ex-Naval personnel represented as the skills to manage vessels as immense as the BC-304 and Mars-class don't really exist within the air force. The UNE Marine Corps (UNEMC) primarily draws its numbers from personnel with existing shipboard experience such as the Royal Marines and US Marine Corps though a small number of its special operations units are taken from a wider background. * The SEF is a prestigious unit to serve in – unlike the SAS and other units that can be applied to join, the SEF does not accept applications, individuals are chosen by the unit and invited to join it rather than having any routes to joining it through volunteering. This not only adds to the mystique around the units activities, but increases the prestige of service in it within the Armed Forces. * The Military Chiefs of Staff view the SEF as unfairly favored by the Chief of the General Staff and the UK Government - there is a narrative among the Service Chiefs of the RAF, RN and BA that the SEF's freedom to poach skilled personnel from any of the services and the units retention of those personnel largely until retirement deprives their services of their best and brightest which has stirred a degree of competitive attitude towards the SEF. This grumbling is usually silenced by the output of SEF Research providing new technologies to each service. Ten Facts You Would Know If You Served In The Intelligence And Security Services Before Joining The SEF *'MI6 is the Government Designation for the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS)' - Nobody within the Intelligence community would ever refer to SIS as MI6, that term is largely only used by politicians, civilians and those not educated in the nature of the British Intelligence community, using it when you should know better makes you look foolish.The SIS is responsible for international intelligence operations and have a good relationship with the SEF. *'MI5 is the correct shorthand for the Security Service '- Who do not use the abbreviation of their name for fairly obvious reasons. MI5 has historically been quite close to the SEF thanks to a working relationship between various members of the staff and former Director Harry Pearce (now retired). MI5 is responsible for internal security operations within the boarders of the UK and its overseas territories. *'Government Communications Headquarters, commonly known as GCHQ is the third Civilian branch of the UK Intelligence Community '- A successor to the post-WW1 Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) GCHQ is responsible for providing signals intelligence (SIGINT) and information assurance to the government and armed forces of the United Kingdom. Like MI5 and SIS it has a close relationship with the SEF thanks to the work of former-director Sir Maxwell Summers (Deceased) who served also as a member of the SEF. *'Defence Intelligence (DI) is the only branch of the UK Intelligence Community that is not Civilian '- DI operates under the MoD and is a part of the British Military. DI personnel all carry military rank, and represent a broader range of skills as their duty is to provide intelligence to all arms of the British Military. *'The National Intelligence Department (NID) is an additional arm of the US Intelligence Community' - The NID have a reputation for being deeply involved in classified operations, the organisation was historically formed after the famous Roswell Crash and is closely connected with 'Men In Black' urban legends and extraterrestrial sightings. In recent years accusations of ineffectiveness saw the NID's budget deeply slashed. Since the Trump administration entered power these cuts have been reversed. *'The Task-force for Reconnaissance and Intelligence on Behalf of the United Nations of Earth (TRIBUNE) is the newly-formed UNE Intelligence body '- it is primarily a task-force comprised of liaisons drawn from the intelligence communities of all UNE states that coordinates the activities of the international intelligence community a successor of sorts to the Five Eyes (FVEY) and ECHELON intelligence alliances that preceded it. *'Extraterrestrial Threat Response (ETR)' is the primary policing force for responding to Aliens '- ETR is effectively the SWAT division of the UNE, coordinating with TRIBUNE in order to provide a tactical response to extraterrestrial threats before they can become an uncontrolled threat. *'The Alliance Galactic Intelligence Service (AGIS) is a Galactic eqivalent of the Intelligence Community on Earth '- AGIS operates largely distantly from Earth's Intelligence community, in so much as most members of it are aware AGIS exists, but know very little about its role in the wider Galaxy. *'Alien Infiltration is a Real Threat '- Although the worst case scenario has yet to occur, members of the Intelligence community, even those not directly working with the UNE/SEF/AGIS/TRIBUNE are aware of the threat of Alien infiltration, and are briefed to look for unusual technologies and report them to those organisations. *'The British Intelligence Community has historically worked closely with the SEF '- a number of Intelligence services personnel have been recruited into the SEF while still retaining employment by their parent service this has given the SEF strong links when cooperating with Intelligence officers and operatives and a number retain clearance levels that give them the clearance to work on allied operations with the SEF. It is rumored there is a historical reason for this no-one is fully aware of. ' ' SEF Facts Ten Facts you'd know about Military Service in the Stargate Expeditionary Force * '''The SEF are an elite force '- your induction into the unit means that you are amongst the best of the best of the military, drawn from the best the Earth has to offer. The SEF draws personnel in from across the globe, although it is still largely dominated and led by the British Military. * '''The SEF is an Expeditionary Force - the SEF has a mandate for exploring the galaxy, making first contact with alien planets and races, their role is as much diplomatic as it is military. They do not have the military capacity to mount a sustained military campaign on their own, and must rely on Alliance and UNE forces if it becomes embroiled in one. Their military duties primarily focus on expeditionary campaigns and reconnaissance of alien threats as well as limited special forces operations. * The SEF is separate to the Army, Navy and Airforce - while personnel from all services serve in the SEF it answers to its own chain of command up to the Chief of the General Staff (CGS) of the armed forces, rather than reporting through the other Heads of the Services. * Not only Tau'ri serve - there are a number of aliens (some of which are human) that serve in the SEF some of whom have become naturalized citizens of Earth as a result of their long service, some of whom act as liaisons between their races and the SEF. * Not only the Military serve - although the SEF is primarily a military unit, the unit recruits specialists from Civilians and the Intelligence and Security Services. * The SEF is dominated by the the Army but make a combined-arms approach to Military Operations - the SEF is primarily a ground forces unit and as a result the lions share of its military personnel are drawn from that branch of the military. * The SEF offers a number of advanced training opportunities '''- because of its daily need to interact with alien technologies the SEF offers all personnel access to advanced technical training, including the opportunity to access academic qualifications that other branches of the military would not provide the funding for. The unit provides training for members of all branches for combined-arms roles, it is the only place where Army personnel receive training in the piloting of spacecraft, for example. * '''All serving SEF Military Personnel are considered to be on permanent deployment - SEF personnel are on permanent standby, they can be called on at any time to leave the Earth and their leave can be cancelled at a moments notice. Their pay reflects this. Relatedly, SEF personnel receive a generous Dependents Allowance to provide for accommodation of partners and children as well as support providing care for any children and their education at boarding schools. * There is a higher death-in-service rate among SEF personnel - the galaxy is a dangerous place and the casualty rate among SEF personnel is higher than any other unit, there is an established covenant between the SEF and its personnel that the unit will ensure any dependents are taken care of for life upon the death of a member of the SEF. * The SEF has a number of relatively famous former personnel '- General Alexander Kincaid was the original Commanding Officer of the SEF upon its foundation, and now serves as the Chief Yeoman Warder at the Tower of London. Former Prime Minister Thomas Lanfear (deceased) was also a member of the unit, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex served in the unit during his military service (records of his service in Afghanistan were falsified with the use of a body double). Ten Facts you'd know about Civilian Contractors and Consultants in the SEF * '''Civilian Consultants and Contractors are recruited by the SEF '- the SEF is in constant need of academics, technical experts, translators, and so on. Not all of these skills can be found within a military recruitment pool and as a result it often recruits from civilian lines of work. * 'Civilians treated as Officers Socially '- Civilian specialists are, as-per British Military custom, afforded the same respect as an Officer, though not the authority over SEF personnel. There are exceptions where Civilian specialists have been promoted to positions of authority but they are the exception, rather than the rule/ * 'Civilian Consultants and Contractors are some of the best paid members of the SEF '- Although Soldier and Intelligence Officer pay in the SEF is far higher than elsewhere in the armed forces, the Civilian personnel who serve in the SEF are by far some of the highest paid contractors in the world. This reflects their dangerous occupation, and they gain many of the same benefits as their military counterparts including subsidized schooling for any children and a generous housing and dependents benefit. * 'The SEF does not permit Red Cross or other humanitarian agencies on deployment '- this is somewhat controversial, the official reasoning being that the danger presented to an untrained civilian observer on the worlds it visits would put the lives of the observer and the SEF personnel required to provide them protection detail, at risk. * 'The SEF does not employ Private Military Contractors '- PMCs, or as they are perhaps less affectionately known 'Mercenaries', represent individuals who have sold their skills as soldiers for private security and military interests. While the SEF has certainly recruited individuals who have been formerly employed as PMCs it does not contract their services AS PMC, because it does not need to with a pool of recruits from across the British and UNE military. * 'SEF Civilian Personnel are expected to pass basic combat training if they wish to go Offworld '- this is a requirement for being allowed to travel via Stargate mandated by the SEF, though Civilians are permitted to carry less-than-lethal sidearms for personal protection in some circumstances, they are expected to carry at least a pistol as a method of self defense. The Galaxy is dangerous, and going into it unarmed is a liability the SEF is not willing to permit to anyone. * 'The SEF has the most free access to alien technology and artifacts in the world '- many of the research projects it runs are at the bleeding edge of technological advancement and have supplied the world with a number of major technological advantages. What SEF research has been declassified to the general public is considered to be ground breaking and these are only the tip of the iceberg - it has little to no difficulty tempting incredibly talented individuals away from private interests for a chance to work with its research teams. The only facility that compares to the SEF Research Labs is '''Area 51 in the United States. * It is generally accepted that even a year working for the SEF will ensure your employment for life '- although Civilians leaving the SEF are subject to a life-time of secrecy enforced by the Official Secrets Act and are never allowed to divulge their work until it is declassified, the understanding of advanced sciences that results from working with what the SEF Research Division works with means that ex-SEF Civilian personnel are in high demand. *'Britain is one of the two leading powers in Spaceship Production - Though the manufacturing is sub-contracted to BAE systems, the SEF has played an important role in making Britain one of the foremost starship-building powers on Earth (the other being the United States). The SEF operates a close relationship with BAE who previously were one of the few companies permitted access to SEF research prior to its declassification. *'The penalties for exposing the SEF are severe '- Civilian personnel are held to a strict code of conduct by the SEF, their communications are heavily monitored and they are made to sign enhanced copies of the Official Secrets Act. The penalty for stepping out of line and deliberately breaching the OSA surrounding the SEF's operations is not simply loosing ones job it, it can be life imprisonment and isolation from the wider world. Ten Facts you'd know about Intelligence Personnel in the SEF * Before the SEF, the Stone Henge Stargate was the property of the Intelligence Services at Bletchley Park - This project, the UKGC was not military-led but an intelligence-led operation, it was shut down as the result of numerous failures and breaches of security, and transformed into the SEF under the leadership of the British Military. There are still elements of the Intelligence services discontent with this 'land grab' by the Military. * SEF Intelligence is Britain and Earth's primary Off-World Intelligence Source '''- Though AGIS, a covertly funded operation set up by a British Intelligence Officer, has strong ties to Earth, it exists outside of British Government and UNE control as an Alliance-affiliated body. To this end the SEF Intelligence Department of its Operations Division is still a vital source of Intelligence for Earth. * '''In Recent Years the Operating Mandate Of The SEF Has Been Restricted - Before the formation of the UNE the SEF had a wide-ranging brief that permitted it to engage in on-world highly classified and top-secret operations. With the move to a more openly known (but still classified unit) it was felt by the UK Gov and UNE that the SEF needed to focus on its purpose as an expeditionary force and covert operations were largely hived off. * The SEF Has Access To A Vast Galactic Intelligence Network - Through allies like AGIS and other Alliance culture's Intelligence divisions, SEF Intelligence has a wide reach, alongside a number of favorable informants across the galaxy. * Intelligence Officers Are Not Restricted To Desk Work - Unlike in the other branches of UK Intelligence, SEF Intelligence members are generally not working desks and performing analysis and operational oversight. Each member of SEF Intelligence has far more opportunities to for field-work and performing their duties in active combat zones. * Undercover And Solo Work Is Rare And 'Secret Squirrels' Are Discouraged '- SEF Intel don't tend to operate undercover unless they ''have to, though the situation occasionally calls for it the SEF is encouraged to operate as a unit and compartmentalizing information is specifically discouraged as it has, in the past, got people killed when an Intelligence Officer hasn't shared the full details of a mission. * '''Though The SEF Has Access To Technology Which Would Make Q Division Jealous It Still Often Relies On The Basics - SEF Intelligence Officers have access to technology on the bleeding edge of advancement, but sometimes pen, paper or a good whiteboard are the best solutions for dealing with an Intel problem. * It's Hard To Go Back To Your Old Job After SEF Service - when Intelligence Officers leave the SEF they find it hard, having seen the scale of the challenges facing Earth, to go back to smaller National intelligence services. This has resulted in much of AGIS, TRIBUNE and ETR being made up of former members of the SEF Intelligence Division. * Intelligence In The Wider Galaxy Presents New Challenges '''- The alien mind works different to that of the human, traditional interrogation methods won't work, and Goa'uld can compromise the mind of a captive physically. To this end the Intelligence Officers working in the SEF have to be extremely talented and very adaptable. * '''The SEF Is Elite, But It Doesn't Know Everything - Especially with changes made to the SEFs remit by the UK Gov and UNE the SEF's Intelligence has blind spots, and its restriction from Earth operations only extends that. Though the UNE and TRIBUNE heralded in a new era of Intelligence Cooperation the many Nations of Earth still keep their own secrets, as do the SEF's Allies. Even SEF Intelligence feeds cannot be totally relied on to be accurate.